Script  

Across the globe, there are places shrouded in mystery, forever linked to otherworldly phenomena. Imagine a serene reservoir in Brazil, seemingly tranquil but at the heart of one of the most baffling paranormal enigmas ever encountered. What secrets does it hold? Join us as we delve into the unknown, uncovering a story so strange, it might just redefine the boundaries of reality.

This is My Dark Path.

Some of these locations are well-known to the masses worldwide like Roswell and Area 51. Others have strong regional fame, like the freeway in Northern Minnesota where Deputy Val Johnson had an unusual UFO encounter. And others are hidden from plain sight and public knowledge.

It may surprise you to learn that Brazil has an unusually high incidence of UFO sightings. Out of all 12 South American countries, Brazil boasts the highest number of alien sightings and extraterrestrial encounters.

As Brazil is South America’s most populous country, this may seem like a logical conclusion, but the frequency and variety of these encounters make for an exciting investigation. Anyone can access more than 700 records of UFO sightings recorded in Brazil's National Archives Information System, and more reports are filed weekly. While I've been to Brazil many times, I have yet to explore the stories of UFO encounters experienced by many Brazilians.

Records stretching back over 60 years document UFO sightings in Brazil. For example, for six consecutive nights at the end of 2022, multiple airline pilots in Porto Alegre filed reports of strange lights flying low in a straight formation through the night sky. At the beginning of 2023, similar lights were again reported in Porto Alegre. But in this case, they were also seen over other cities within the Brazilian state of Rio Grande Du Sol, which borders Uruguay to the south and Argentina to the west.

These lights flew in an elliptical shape and hovered at an altitude of around 9 kilometers. Observatories in the area recorded the lights and noted they reflected off the tops of clouds, proving their physical presence.

It was later announced that these sightings over Porto Alegre were mostly likely to be low-orbiting satellites linked to a SpaceX launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Station, but this answer was still admittedly speculative. Pilots would be accustomed to the different types of light in the sky and would be among those best qualified to identify an unusual object. In this case, their inability to recognize this phenomenon hinted at other causes.

Carlos Jung of the Heller and Jung Space Observatory in Taquara stated, "The most plausible hypothesis, so far, is that these lights have these satellites as their light source. These new models can reflect much more sunlight." He also said, however, that "no hypothesis has been ruled out so far, not even possible objects of a non-terrestrial nature. But, in the light of science, we are analyzing the sightings using scientific data and impartiality to determine the true origin.”

And just two weeks into this year, viral footage from hikers in Ilha Do Mel appeared online. Calling them "Elongated 10-foot-tall figures", the subjects of the video stood atop a seemingly inaccessible hilltop, arms flailing in a bizarre and unnerving fashion before being seen striding in an ungainly and jittery manner behind rooftops and descending out of sight into the valleys below. Skeptics might say that it was just adventurous hikers or climbers embracing a triumphant, free, free-spirited climb. Some might say their exaggerated dimensions are nothing but a trick of the eyes from warping from the haze of warm air. Others fervently believe it is yet another sign of alien lifeforms making their presence known on Brazilian soil. Regardless of the answers, it proves that the minds of the world are open to paranormal happenings, and their eyes are still fixed eagerly on Brazil.

However, unexplained phenomena in Brazil aren't limited to UFOs. In 1988, a horrific discovery shocked the nation and left the country with a still unanswered question – was a Brazilian man abducted and examined by someone or something not of this world?

Hi, I'm MF Thomas, and welcome to My Dark Path, where I explore the fringes of history, science, and the paranormal. So, if you geek out over these subjects, you're among friends here at My Dark Path. Check us out on X, YouTube, Instagram, and mydarkpath.com. I’m also grateful for our growing group of Patreon supporters who get exclusive monthly content, copies of my novels, t-shirts, and more.   Finally, thank you for choosing to walk the Dark Paths of the world with me. There is much to explore and ponder, even while we keep our eyes set on what matters most. Let's get started with Episode 61, A Different Kind of Autopsy – Cases of Alien Abduction. As a note, this episode has a little more gore than I would want in an episode – but there's nothing gratuitous or explicit.

Part 1

Nestled in the heart of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Billings Reservoir serenely embraces nature, juxtaposed with a sprawling, vibrant metropolis of one of the world’s largest cities. The vast and majestic artificial lake spans over 127 km and offers a lifeline for the bustling city and a sanctuary for those seeking solace from urban living. The name doesn’t seem very Brazilian. American Hydroelectric Engineer Asa White Kenney Billing designed and constructed this impressive reservoir. In 1927, he took on the mammoth task of creating Sao Paulo’s biggest reservoir that now provides water for over 1.8 million people.

The reservoir offers a recreational haven for those seeking to explore its shores. Families regularly picnic on the banks, and swimmers take refuge from the summer heat in the calm, cooling water. But as with any idyllic façade, delving beneath the surface reveals a darker, more sinister side to Billings' namesake. Concerned locals and environmentalists battle pollution from wastewater and garbage being dumped into the lake, especially from an upsurge in unauthorized settlements in the surrounding areas. The presence of gangs in the area also casts a gloomy shadow on its otherwise sunny shores. But one incident has embedded itself into the history of Billings Reservoir. It shocked the local community and defined Billings as an international area of paranormal interest.

On September 29, 1988, an enthusiastic 10-year-old boy named Fransisco eagerly explored the Billings Reservoir and enjoyed the lake. This was a popular spot for Fransisco to visit. Now that the days were getting longer in the southern hemisphere, he enjoyed hunting insects and searching for birds and small creatures along the peaceful shores after school. And so, his focus stayed close to the ground as he combed the long grass and gazed into the shallow clear waters of the bank in search of specimens to study and perhaps capture. A small commotion broke his concentration and pulled his gaze from the ground. A short distance away, a group of vultures fought over something he couldn't see from where he stood. At first, he was delighted to witness the vultures in such a display, a far cry from the usual small birds he was accustomed to viewing. He paused and watched, reluctant to draw closer and potentially scare them away. His curiosity got the better of him, and he moved toward the vultures. Finally, they saw the boy taking flight before settling down again at a safer distance. On the banks of the man-made lake, their departure revealed the lifeless body of a man who had been brutally mutilated.

Fransisco quickly alerted his parents and then the authorities. They flooded to the scene, along with the neighboring villagers, to investigate.

While gangs were known to leave behind the bodies of their victims, the state in which this man was found was out of the ordinary and deeply unsettling. The wounds inflicted on the man were inexplicable. These unique wounds and their cause compelled the authorities to keep the details of the incident and autopsy results a secret for six years.

Locals were accustomed to the gruesome stories of gang members regularly turning up dead. Still, the circumstances of this event made the police reluctant to give out any details at the time. They cordoned off the area and ignored the increasingly concerned inquiries from the vexed inhabitants, leaving them to their speculations.

The locals were even more surprised when all evidence of the occurrence vanished rapidly and without a trace the next day. There was no sign of the body, no suggestion that there had even been an incident at the reservoir, and more importantly, even the local news did not hint at what had happened, let alone offer any details or explanation. Gang killings may have been horrific, but the police did not suppress news of them.

Without further clarification and without any official statement on the matter, rumors began circulating. The consensus was that a local fisherman and known alcoholic, who had gone missing three days before the discovery, had fallen into the lake and died either through drowning or intoxication. But this hypothesis didn’t explain why the authorities were so reluctant to give up any information about what had happened. But, without any better explanation, this soon became the accepted story of what had occurred. The event was quickly forgotten.

Six years later, in 1994, the incident was a hazy memory. However, an unknown member of the Brazilian government gathered up the details of the mysterious occurrence and leaked the photos and reports to the media. It quickly became apparent that the locals were right to have been suspicious. Yet their initial conclusion was incorrect and fell short of the shocking truth. The body was that of a local fisherman, but the cause of his death was likely no accident.

The victim was a 53-year-old man who, along with his alcoholism, suffered from epilepsy. Officials had discovered his clothing on the opposite shore of the lake, and they initially thought that his death could be attributed to one of two reasons.  It was either an epileptic seizure while swimming, causing him to drown. Or, they postulated that the combination of alcohol and his medication may have caused the drowning.

As sad as his premature death might be, these causes aren't surprising or unusual. So what would cause the authorities to keep the Billings Reservoir body such a secret for all these years? Details of grisly murders and heinous crimes were an everyday occurrence in the headlines around Sao Paulo. What would make them keep the details of the death of a man undisclosed in an area that was used to its fair share of murder and unintentional death?

While officials had considered the details too important to release to the public, the whistle-blower thought differently. Over the subsequent days, weeks, and months, the leaked documents seeped into mainstream media. The particulars of the incident began to take shape, forming a grim and alarming reality.

Part 2

The body was, in fact, badly mutilated. Hopefully, the young, 10-year-old Fransisco only saw the dead man from a distance. The leaked autopsy and photos provided insight into very bizarre and calculated injuries inflicted on the victim. Injuries that left authorities questioning if a human could have even performed them.

Someone had drilled neat, precise, circular holes measuring 1.5 inches in diameter into the man's body in multiple places. Two were symmetrically bored into the side of his chest alongside the armpits, another punctured through his stomach via his naval. His limbs too, bore these strange punctures with an additional hole in his groin. Along with these peculiar surgical incisions, the autopsy reported that the left ear had been removed, and his lower jaw was mostly missing, along with the skin of his lips and jaw. It had been sliced off. Also, his eyelids were excised, and one of his eyes was extracted.

As vicious as the man’s injuries were, the autopsy characterized the horrifically precise nature of the wounds. Every hole was the same size and shape, and each pairing was symmetrical and equidistant to its opposing wound. Even more shocking to all involved, on further inspection, through the penetrative holes, the man's blood, muscle, and organs had been sucked out, leaving him mostly empty inside and the crime scene void of any blood or viscera. The body was shrunken, and the chest sunken in as a result of the missing vitals. The stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, and kidneys were all missing without any sign of surgical incision resulting in the conclusion that these small holes had been used to suck or vacuum out the contents of his body in a unique method. Along with these smaller holes, his rectum had been removed, leaving a sizeable gaping chasm where there was once tissue. All of these inflictions had been achieved with the same meticulous surgical precision.

By examining the autopsy report further, another disquieting aspect emerges. The report relays the discovery that there were no anesthetics found in the body, yet there was also no sign of any restraints on the body. The implications are horrific - the victim was alive and aware throughout the procedure, yet the man had been kept still, restrained, or paralyzed without physical restraints.

The autopsy further stated that the cause of death was, in part, cerebral edema, which results in extreme swelling, intracranial pressure, and severe pain. In the absence of damage to the cranium itself, the combination of an intact skull cap and cerebral edema will create agonizing pain in an individual.

Contributing to his death were "acute haemorrhage" and "causa mortis by vagus stimulation.” The vagal nerves are vital to your parasympathetic nervous system and carry signals between your brain, heart, and digestive system. It was also reported that the man most likely was tortured throughout the ordeal. Essentially, he was in such excruciating pain that the vagus nerve shut down his body, causing respiratory arrest.  

And so, six years after the man’s death, the release of the autopsy drew out accusations of a cover-up. Another fact also increased the media and public's belief that the authorities had covered up the event. As news leaked, the police initially spun the event as having occurred at the Guarapiranga Reservoir. The discrepancy was eventually cleared up, but the misinformation was yet another indication that there was something to hide.

Part 3

While the manner of this death is unusual and rare, as news leaked, it was pointed out that it seemed very similar to a series of cattle mutilations. In many areas where UFO sightings have occurred, there have been reports of cattle mysteriously dying in bewildering circumstances identical to that of the Billings Reservoir body. Coroners who have observed the Billings Reservoir autopsy report and witnessed the same type of death in cattle and livestock have stated just how remarkably similar the incidences are. Right down to the surgical precision and the removal of eyes, eyelids, lips, mandibles, and ears, the organs and blood are vacuumed out through precise holes bored symmetrically into the body at various points. 

The earliest known reports of such precise cattle mutilations actually date back to 1606, when the city of London, England, reported on them. Since then, reports of matching scenarios have been made across the globe and throughout history, with the speculation strongly intertwined with extraterrestrial potential.

But superstition aside, what logical explanations could there be? The fact that the victim was known to have epilepsy and was recognized as being an alcoholic can, at first glance, give credibility to the official report. The autopsy stated that the cause of death was a cerebral edema leading to extreme pain, in turn leading to respiratory and heart failure. Individuals who suffer from epileptic seizures generally lose consciousness and do not experience immediate pain. Of course, the seizure could have caused the man to injure himself, which, upon waking from the seizure, could have resulted in severe pain. However, the cause and effect of these findings are all but impossible to resolve. It does not, however, explain the findings about the body's physical state. As previously mentioned, the timeframes would not allow natural decomposition, and there were no predatory marks on the body. It has been reasoned that an animal could have burrowed into the body and eaten it from within. But again, this would not account for the surgical precision of the holes nor the complete lack of blood at the scene. Some reports even state that the entry points were cauterized. 

This then leaves us with two hypotheses. Was the victim murdered at the hands of other humans, or was there a paranormal cause?

The investigation ruled out the hypothesis that he was attacked and murdered on site by another person.  There was no evidence of other individuals being at the crime scene.  The victim showed no signs of struggle against an attacker. 

What about the hypothesis that he was a victim of organ harvesting and just dumped there?  The evidence also eliminates this as a cause.  The way the organs were sucked through the holes would have left them damaged and unusable for the sake of organ harvesting and sale.

Therefore, the wounds and destruction of his body must have been done purely for the sake of torture.  Yet, his attackers would have had to have been highly skilled and deliberate, and it would have been unfathomably challenging to conduct the procedure without anesthetic. This was not the work of a drug cartel or gang who’s appalling methods of torture are equally painful, but significantly less precise and refined.  Remember, the body was free of all anesthetics and paralyzing agents. There were also no footprints or tracks at the scene of the crime.

To me, these hypotheses and their answers seem reasonable.  Yet we find other stories, like the murder of Al Kite, which I just covered in episode 60, that demonstrate how extraordinary evil exists in some people's hearts. Could the man’s death be at the hands of a merciless serial killer, who tortures just for the sake of torture?  Al Kite suffered greatly at the hands of Robert Cooper, the pseudonym the killer gave himself as he hunted in Denver in 2004.  And the methods used to kill Al Kite are very different from those here. They are very equivalent in their severity and intentional torture.  Could it be the work of a Brazilian Robert Cooper? Potentially, but this hypothesis seems as far-fetched as the one I’ll describe now.

So, could his death have a paranormal origin? According to local superstition, some believe it could be the work of the Chupacabra. This red-eyed, fanged mythical Latin American creature has numerous reported forms. Reputed sightings differ, claiming it to be no larger than a dog and others have seen it as the size of a small bear. It has been said to wear lizard-like scales, while others have stated it is covered in fur. Some say it walks on two legs and hops like a kangaroo; others claim it walks on 4, skulking after its prey. They have even been reported to look like aliens, which could give credibility to close encounters. However it may look, the Chupacabra supposedly feeds on the blood of livestock using its sharp fangs to drain the blood through neat holes, which is a noteworthy coincidence. This creature from deep-rooted folklore conjures up vampiric images and feeds the nightmares of small children. But for all its dreadful allure, it remains a legend. Maybe even a legend that we will return to here on My Dark Path.

But the strong association with Brazil, UFOs, and alien encounters life gives some credence to this possibility.  

Of course, reports of mutilated livestock became widespread in the 1970s. These animals have all been found drained and hollow, with their jaws, eyes, ears, tongues, and flesh missing. Mutilated calves were reported in the Denver Post in 2009, and in Colorado in 2019, 5 prize bulls appeared drained of blood and defaced similarly.

Accounts of this kind became so prevalent that the FBI was tasked with investigating the mysterious situation back in 1970, but suspiciously, due to jurisdiction issues, they could not perform their investigations properly, and documents relating to those inquiries are now classified.

As much as we want a resolution to the case of the Billings Reservoir Man, it’s unlikely that more facts will come out and we’re only left with our hypotheses.  But there’s parallel case that illuminates the hypothesis that his torture and death came as a result of an alien abduction. 

Part 4

Known as the Lovette-Cunningham case, in 1956, Major William Cunningham witnessed Air Force Sergeant Jonathon P. Lovette being abducted into an alien craft and transported away. Later, he was found naked, lifeless, and devoid of blood and organs and inflicted with the same surgical injuries as with the Billings case.Within the ufology community, it’s believed that this incident was investigated under Project Grudge—a preliminary effort by the U.S. Air Force to examine unidentified flying object sightings post-World War II. Project Grudge was a precursor to the more renowned Project Blue Book, operational from 1951 to 1969. Allegedly, the Air Force's probe into this mysterious abduction culminated in a 600-page report termed "Project Grudge Report 13."

However, the authenticity of Report 13 remains unsubstantiated, as official records do not acknowledge its existence, and the U.S. government refutes any claims about such a document. The sparse details available come from sources who allege to have read the report. One description of Report 13 is from William Cooper, who claimed he analyzed a draft version of Grudge Report 13 during the early 1970s. Another description of Report 13 comes from William English, a former Green Beret captain. He asserted that he read Report 13 while stationed at an air base in Chicksands, England.

William English’s version of Report 13 is captured on two audio tapes. Furthermore, in the book 'Military Encounters With Extraterrestrials: The Real War of the Worlds' by Frank Joseph, it is mentioned that English shared his memories during a 1991 Colorado radio broadcast. Reportedly, Cooper’s and English’s accounts are remarkably similar.

The tale of Lovette’s case was transcribed from English's memory onto two cassette tapes three years later and was distributed amongst the UFO community in 1980. There are many reasons to suspect the integrity of England's summary of Report 13, but the story is intriguing nonetheless.

In March 1956, Major William Cunningham assisted Air Force Sergeant Jonathan P. Lovette in collecting debris from a test on the White Sands missile testing ground in New Mexico. Unexpectedly, Major Cunningham heard a loud, fearful, anguished scream coming from Lovette’s direction. Separated by a small dune, Major Cunningham initially couldn’t see the source of the commotion. Cunningham crossed the dune expecting to see Lovette with a snake bite or other unfortunate injury. Instead, he clambered over the sandy hill in time to witness a mechanical, serpentine limb wrapped around Jonathan’s legs and dragging him into a hovering disc-shaped craft. The silvery object was 15 to 20 feet long and hovered in the air. Once Lovette was drawn inside, the ship vanished quickly into the sky.

Initially frozen in fear, Cunningham found his jeep and radioed for help. Later, radar operators reportedly confirmed a radar sighting in their vicinity. William was picked up and taken to the Base Dispensary for observation and interrogation. Search parties were sent out immediately, but no trace of Lovette could be found.

But three days later, Lovette was found about 10 miles from the location of his abduction. He had been dead between 24 and 48 hours. Predatory birds, who had died in an attempt to scavenge from the remains, had been found mysteriously scattered near Lovette‘s body. His body was naked and desecrated in an undeniably similar condition to the Billings reservoir man.  The mutilated corpse had a large part of its tongue removed from the lower jaw, and a surgical incision had been made from the chin right down to the larynx. His eyes had been removed, and his anus and groin cored out in plugs. Again, the corpse was relieved of all organs and blood with surgical precision, and, especially unusually, English noted that there was no vascular collapse, which would almost certainly have taken place in anyone who died of complete blood loss.

It was stated that Williams was initially charged with the murder of Sergeant Lovette, but the charges were all later dropped. Of course, this case remains unsubstantiated, and no follow-up is available. But the story, shared years before the death of Billing's Man, has remarkable similarities. Are authorities just as baffled as we are, or is there more to this story than we can even hypothesize? It is alarming to think that we may never know. But, perhaps, it’s more alarming still to believe that one day we just might.

Thank you for listening to My Dark Path. I’m MF Thomas, creator and host, and I produce the show with our engineer and creative director Dom Purdie. This story was written in collaboration with Adrian Booth. I’m grateful to them and the entire My Dark Path team.

Again, thanks for walking the dark paths of history, science, and the paranormal with me. Until next time, good night.